English 3623 – The Literature of Science Fiction

This course traces major themes and concepts in science fiction from the Golden Age writers of the 1930s, through the New Wave of the 1960s and 1970s, to the present day. Students will focus on works by Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, LeGuin, and other writers – both well-known and forgotton – as well as their impact on the field. The development and impact of particular ideas in speculative fiction will be traced as well, along with the relationship of science fiction literature to other genres and other media, and the state of the s.f. publishing field today – including the dramatic editorial and demographic shifts of the last 10 years, and some of the most important current writers.